LORAIN, Ohio — A pair of nuisance properties in Lorain are receiving funds for long-sought cleanup and redevelopment.
The Lorain County Land Bank was recently awarded nearly $11.4 million from the Ohio Brownfield Remediation Program to remove debris and environmental hazards at Lorain’s former St. Joseph’s Hospital site and revitalize the former Stove Works industrial property.
“This is as excited as we’ve been in many years and we have a reason for that,” said Lorain Safety Service Director Rey Carrion of the reinvestment in blighted property.
The upcoming improvements are welcome news to people who live in Central Lorain.
“Any time you can improve something, it’s better for the neighborhood,” said Charlesetta Brown.
Brown’s family moved to Lorain in the 1950s from Memphis. Now, the family occupies eight separate houses down the street from the former St. Joseph’s Hospital. It’s where Brown’s children were born and where she worked her first job.
“Many babies and children I can tell you that live in this neighborhood, every nationality, was born and raised in St. Joseph’s Hospital,” she said. “All these houses and everything were filled up with people and everyone just came to St. Joe’s.”
The neighborhood hospital shut down in the mid-1990s. The building served different purposes over the years before it eventually closed and fell into disrepair.
In October 2023, News 5 reported Lorain planned to take legal action against the property owners to hold them accountable for the site’s condition. The vacant, partially demolished property had become a health and safety hazard.
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“I hope they hurry up and tear it down because it’s causing problems. There’s kids. Somebody’s going to get hurt in there,” said Glen Jenkins, Brown’s brother who lives across the street.
The neighbors and city leaders are looking forward to addressing the blight in central Lorain.
“This intersection connects Lorain. So for us, it’s exciting. The potential is incredible,” said Carrion of Broadway Avenue and W. 21st Street, where the former hospital property sits.
The St. Joseph’s site will receive almost $6.5 million to complete demolition, remove asbestos and other hazardous materials and prepare the property for redevelopment.
“These are seeds that were planted years ago that are coming to fruition now,” Carrion said.
Additionally, a sprawling former industrial property in central Lorain is also receiving funding. The former Stove Works facility, located near W. 13th Street and Long Avenue, manufactured stoves and heaters. The site has been vacant since 1981 and still includes concrete footings and piles of debris.
A $4.8 million Brownfield Remediation Grant will remove the remaining material and pay for soil-gas confirmation sampling. Previous funding has already designated the property for a neighborhood revitalization project, which will create 70 new affordable housing units on the site.
City leaders believe the remediation and revitalization will be a catalyst for more development in Lorain.
“People will see in a short time that the old Lorain is going to be a thing of the past. And we certainly have a bright, bright future ahead,” Carrion said.
He explained once the grant funding is received, it will be used within two years.
There are no official plans yet for the former St. Joseph’s Hospital site, but there’s been discussion about moving the city’s safety services to the property or creating a mixed-use development.
Both Brown and Jenkins would like to see community resources, like a senior center, youth activities or job training, fill the currently vacant lot. Both said they look forward to any improvements.
“[I’m] hoping and praying that something will go up, so that we can look back and say, ‘I remember it used to be St. Joe’s. But we have something that’s really nice there now,’” said Brown.
